IM thoughts

no ST I didn't get out

Last week was awesome I loved it and felt good. The 2 days enforced rest made me feel sooooo tired and I think it hit me how tired I was after the end of term. This week has been a complete nightmare

hmmmmm

well yesterday I felt like I had been hit by a bus. End of term hit properly. I was on off asleep for 3-4hrs during the day and when awake just felt like lead. Only just stayed awake for the triathlon

Slept 9hrs last night too.

Have decided to rest today and slowly get back to it next week.

I know I overtrained last week but I did feel great and I am sure that most of this weeks exhaustion is work related because on march I was dead for 2-3 days and at Christmas I was out for a week any thoughts of any exercise more than making a brew was exhausting. So ... easy next week, bit more the week after, just move the week after then FB.

FB will be hard. I know I can do the swim and I know I am stubborn enough to complete the run it's the bike I'm concerned about.

Also fuel .... I can drink on the bike but have never eaten. I'm too much of a wimp to take both hands off the handle bars too! So I'm thinking gel in T1 + some sports drink, drink on the bike + maybe some bite sizes malt loaf then gels on the run.

What do they do at feed stations? Do you get a 500ml bottle of sports drink so ditch yours and take theirs? So many dumb questions!

ST if you aren't taking part feel free to pop down at the end of the bike and the run to shout at me!

Consistent consistency is the key Pixie - but the odd big week is no bad thing, (you won't be 'over trained' in a week) as long as it doesn't mean you lose the next week, boom and bust training isn't good. No reason for you to not be back to it today though - unless you think you're ill?

Do you check your RHR? I use that to determine whether I'm tired (fact of life whilst training fo rthe full distance) or on the edge of ill - in which case a day off is in order. The middle ground - feeling really tired and rough but RHR fine is an easy session (as in no more than Z2 HR).

Can't help with water bottles at Full Boar as am pretty much self sufficient on the bike for a HIM. Can you fit a second bottle cage? You don't need two hands to eat on the bike - gels use teeth and one hand, an open packet of shot bloks in your bento box or back pocket just need one hand to squeeze them out, you can pre open Nakd bars etc and eat with one hand too. Just takes a little forethought and you probably don't need as much as you think anyway.

What she said. I learnt on my first HIM that winter gloves and closed bars don't work. For the full I had opened and cut my bars ready for the eating.

thanks guys. Never had much success ripping gel tops off with teeth so will trial the munches aproach

7m run again today, slightly slower but same HR and much more undulating course  shame about the 2 blisters gained  need new running socks me finks so I'll have to go wiggle

being much more sensible this week

7m run on Monday, rest yesterday (well it was the Boys gold medal winning triathlon!) and 15m on the bike today focusing on gear changes etc. so just local. Realised why my right foot gets numb after a bit and why I get oil on my right calf ... cleat is in totally the wrong place meaning I'm leaning my foot out hence the numbness

Aim for tomorrow is bike to Bosworth and do some OW

Pixie do you have a bento box? Would be useful on the bike and with a little practice you can still have one hand on the handlebar's as your going nom nom nom nom nom. I'm going to have one full of fig rolls and wine gums so can throw you one when you overtake me at the boar. Won't need opening any packaging will just mean I end up with soggy fodder that's amalgamated into fig wine gums if it rains.

cake i will be last at the full boar! So save me one!!

I do have a bento box ( has ironman on the side) and it currently holds my "damn I have a puncture now what" kit so I need to do some organising 1st! I normally go for fingers crossed with the punctures but now I am doing more I guessed I should take something. Most of my rides are circles so I'm never more than 2-3m from home!

Saddle bag for puncture kit, bento box for stuff you  need to have immediately accessible - inhaler, food, etc. Sorted.

yes must sort myself out  sorry!

Nothing to apologise for - just no need to stress the small stuff

 me? stress? no way! I'd never do that! Ask Fraggle she'll confirm I am as cool as a cucumber!!

 *eck what else have I forgotten?*

Beautiful day today so bike to from OW it is. Will be wettie swim so using old 5gears hybrid bike so I can strap wet wettie to the rack on the back!

haven't had an e-mails saying water is too warm for wettie so taking it anyway and see what happens.

I need to do a wettie swim as FB will be a wettie swim (no way it will be over 24 at 9am) and I need the practice!!

SO right ST .... because I was hoping for a wettie swim I bagged it up and used my old heavy, 5gears only hybrid to get to MB.

On arriving someone said the water was 22 so game on me finks. I'm half way through getting into my wettie and some chap stops me. 24.5 grrrr

So anyway off I went and I settled a lot quicker. Again to start with my breathing was hard and I was struggling despite breathing every stroke. Then I remembered Joe Friel saying that the "can breath" is actually too much oxygen as you're not completly exhaling the air. So I focused really hard to going longer between breathes and within a few minutes I was swimming fine.

The sun was a pain in the butt getting in the way a lot and the weed was aweful but I kept going. Last time I did 2 large laps but stopped after 1 for a break. Last night I did 2 large laps and 1 small lap non stop

The bike over hadn't been much slower than on the road bike as expected ... it was quicker! The ride home was the same time as on the road bike.

Combine these 2 things and I may just be getting fitter!!  All I need to do now is keep this up for 11+ mths and lose some lard!  Easy!!

Good effort EP! I hate swimming without a wettie.

Surely you can wear your wettie if you want? It's not a race so ITU rules don't apply. Our lake has people without wetsuits in temperatures that ITU would require one.